Born Michael Archer, 11 February 1974, Richmond, Virginia, USA. R&B singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist D'Angelo was signed by EMI Records at the age of 18, whereupon he relocated to New York to develop his musical career. He quickly repaid EMI's investment, co-writing and co-producing the major US hit single "U Will Know", sung by an all-star cast (including Jodeci, R. Kelly and Tevin Campbell), and credited to Black Men United. Influenced by Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield, with a vernacular lifted from modern urban R&B, D'Angelo won the Harlem Apollo talent contest three times in succession before embarking on sessions for his debut album. This utilized antiquated equipment including a Wurlitzer and old effects boxes as well as modern technology in the form of drum machines and computers. Alongside Ben Harper, it saw D'Angelo celebrated as representing a return to the singer-songwriter tradition in black music following the dominance of hip-hop. Ironically, it emerged on dance/rap label Cooltempo Records in the UK. His concert appearances in support of the record, with strictly live instrumentation, also drew strong reviews and further mainstream press.

D'Angelo subsequently contributed soundtrack work to the movies Scream 2, Down In The Delta and Belly, and duetted with Lauryn Hill on "Nothing Even Matters" from her acclaimed The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill. D'Angelo debuted at US number 1 in February 2000 with the long-awaited Voodoo, an occasionally inspired collection of songs crafted from endless studio jams. The following year he was rewarded with Grammy awards for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Album.